Need advice buying 45 to 50 yacht

Having spent the entire summer of '07 waiting for a bowsprit after our neighbor went sideways across our bow with his 48' SF I can tell you it happens. Bow rails? Just look around the marina. Granted, once you get into the 50' class people tend to be more careful, but it does happen.
Most experienced skippers have a collection of catalogues and suppliers, but the average Joe calls the name on the side of his boat for parts, so access really is very important. Of course, if you're dealing with a boat under warranty that first call has to be to the dealer (which is one big reason why I prefer an older boat).

LOL... the last boat i collected on my bow was a 55ish mutt... the idiot dragged 300' before noticing that his passerelle was being re arranged by an ole hatt.. A think a short section of his port rub rail was also lifted away by my anchor chain.

another benefit of those old tanks... the bow is much higher and very sharp, the pulpit is strong enough to cut easily thru thin cored house sides and glass!

LOL. Unfortunately our neighbor had a Viking. Our sprit was 1/4" stainless, but it was no match for his rail (which also suffered). Back on subject though, when these things happen your first call is almost always to the local Parts Dept. (especially when you're dealing with something like a VSC which has a lot of parts in NJ). Of course Murphy's law took over. This they had to import; the wrong one came in; then they had to wait for the foundry to do another run. At least all the calls that were made were in the US. That really helped to keep the frustration level down.

You're really going overboard with the hull laminate and thickness issue. You're buying a $300k yacht which is about what a nice new 35' center console goes for these days. I have run yachts that had heavy solid hulls and rode and handled horribly and I have also run yachts that were cored and rode fabulous. It all depends on the hull design, balance, and structural integrity more then anything else. Your other concern is speed and fuel consumption. If you run any diesel yacht under the turbo's they're all pretty much extremely fuel efficient. An older 53' Hatteras MY can be had in your price range, is extremely comfortable, is very comfortable to live on, and much more spacious then anything mentioned. But at your price point, and what you're looking for, your best bet/compromise is the Searay.

there is more to quality / ride than just laminate schedule and deadrise... One issue is that you are looking at used boats but are getting info from the builders/dealers on currrent construction... things change from year to year adn when the Azimut dealer gets back to you with the info you are waiting for,chances are it will not apply to a 5 year old boat in your price range. For instance, i dont' know what Ferretti is using for core on the hull side these days, but a 60ish was damaged at my marina during Wilma 3 years ago. Luckily,the hull failed above the WL and stayed afloat. I dont' know what they used for core but it was some very weak material... not Divinycel! you could tell the hull cracked with no rubbing/griding, jsut with minimal impact. So if the dealer tells you that Ferretti use xxxx for core and has x/x" laminate, how do you know it applies to a 6 year old boat?

also, how the boat was used and maintained will have a much larger impact on it's condition. As i may have mentioned earlier I inspected two VSC ,only a year apart (02/03), earlier this year. One was obviously open checkbook captain maintained and nearly perfect (except for waviness in the house sides), the other one was litterally falling apart with doors not closing right, loose hinges, stress cracks, etc...

personally, I would stay away from below WL core but would not focus the numbers. Find a boat you like, do a sea trial and judge the ride yourself.

And dont' forget that boats are nothing more than a collection of compromises... you will not find all the things you want in one boat.

Actually there are a lot of parts you could be waiting for that could really hamper the owners usage on a foreign boat without adequate support. Some of these items could include: grey water pump, hot water heater element, float switches, fresh water pumps, electrical breakers/outlets/switches, steering pump or components, hinges/rollers etc for main entry doors, hatch parts, porthole parts, refrigerator components, stove components, electrical transformers and relays. etc. etc.

Maintanence expenses on foriegn yachts once they are past a year old are about double that of a domestic one. Also keep in mind that every part for a foriegn yacht is at least double in price compared to a domestic yacht. The Euro being 145% of the dollar in addition to the shipping and customs over here for the parts is all already added into the price at your local dealer. A plastic latch that I could've gotten for $14 each (if I ordered 20), cost me $32 a piece from the dealer. Key switches for a '05 viking SC cost $106 each for a plastic key switch that should be no more then $20.

Hi,

I have worked on US Boats in Europe and European Boats all over the world.
Anything special that is not available locally I normally use 1 of 3 specialist suppliers for.

Each seems to get some things better than others.

I try to avoid using the boat builder unless absolutely necessary and no one else can supply it.

I agree that Shipping and Customs clearance fees can really bite sometimes, I have recently found I can import a 40' Container for the same Clearance dues as a single Fed Ex Box.

Many of the items listed there could easily be switched out for local items at a fraction of the cost, however it demonstrates that the first call is usually to the dealer. Hence the concern for local representation. Just today I was talking to a long time salesman for a very common foreign built yacht and HE brought up the utter frustration they experience trying to get parts, and trying to get authorization for warranty work.

I agree that many of those things can be switched out for US parts. But then you are re-mounting things in different locations, fabricating some stuff, finding new mounting locations and ending up with a $1 million frankenstein boat. It also usually takes twice as long to re-engineer something else to fit. So it's usually preferable to not re-engineer. Also access to many items is very difficult on an Azimut so re-mounting something can be tons of fun.

Exactly why that first call usually ends up being to Italy, unless you buy something with a big US parts and service representation (not just sales).

well, m experience in on boats under 80' or so and i find that whenever i've had to repair something 90% i was able to find off the shelf part, often made or sold here in the US including many of the stuff you list.

only builder specific items like an obscure latch or door handle or door... would have to to be ordered thru the builder.

And even if the builder used a European part for instance, most of the time you can replace it by something equivalent made or sold here in the US with very little effort.

personally i think that ER layout and system accessibility is far more important to maintenance cost than where the boat was built. Take Sea Ray for instance, they usually have the worst possible accessibility to components. A friend of mine has a 460 and once asked me to give him a hand with a few minor things... replacing a fresh water pump or genny impeller or float switch all took 4 times more than it should have taken.

I know that sometimes the builders has to sacrifice some serviceability to cram in more stuff (bigger engines, larger accommodation, etc...) into a hull but this has a much great impact on maintenance cost than where the boat was built.

Unfortunately, the average owner will react as Capt.J indicated and call the dealer first. Of course they won't say it will take 3 weeks for the part to come in and that it will probably be the wrong part and it will take another 6 weeks to get the right one. A less experienced owner is also less likely to *******ize. Additionally, if the boat is of a recent vintage and under any sort of warranty (even if it is just the hull warranty) he'll be afraid of voiding the warranty so he'll go to the company.
As for the Sea Ray habit of removing space from the engine room to accomodate any other feature that's visable at the boat shows, I once got stuck while slithered into the outboard side of the Cummins on a 46 Dancer . Unfortunately they're not the only builder to do that.